Prince Products
June 30, 2008
Prince Extends Popular O3 Speedport Black Racquet Line
O3 Speedport Black Team and O3 Speedport Black LongbodyGive More Player Types Chance to Pick Up and Customize a World-Class Racquet
Bordentown, NJ - June 30, 2008 - The O3 Speedport Black has become one of the best-selling, hottest tennis racquets in the world. An extremely versatile frame, "The Black" is being used by players of all levels - from two #1 ranked ATP touring pros to frequent recreational and league players. It has achieved its popularity and received numerous accolades due to its balanced blend of feel and power. As a result, an even greater number of players around the world have made the conversion to the most impactful and visible racquet technology in tennis - O3 (large ports built into the frame of the racquet).
Now, building off the success of the original O3 Speedport Black model, Prince is introducing two new versions of the popular racquet to bring the frame to more player types. Beginning July 1, players will have three options in the extended O3 Speedport Black family - the O3 Speedport Black, O3 Speedport Black Team and O3 Speedport Black Longbody.
O3 Speedport Black Team:
The Team version is a slightly lighter, even more maneuverable frame than its original counterpart. The Team is a perfect transitional racquet for a player - perhaps a younger competitive junior player - who likes the feel of the O3 Speedport Black, but would benefit from a slightly lighter frame. In addition, for players who want a smaller grip size, the O3 Speedport Black Team is available in a grip size zero (0).
O3 Speedport Black Longbody: The O3 Speedport Black Longbody is designed for more advanced players who want a longer frame to generate even faster racquet head speed - leading to more power and more spin - as well as extended reach and court coverage.
"This offering brings a winning racquet to a wider array of players," said Tyler Herring, Product Manager for Performance Racquets at Prince. "The new Team and Longbody versions are built for the large community of players who prefer a racquet in these particular specs but want to play with the O3 Speedport Black and might not have picked up the racquet otherwise.
Customization:
Once players decide which version of the racquet is right for them, they can further customize their racquet in both feel and cosmetic - something completely unique to the O3 Speedport Black. All three versions will continue to give players the chance to select either the String Hole or String Port Inserts - a feature introduced in the original O3 Speedport Black - providing two distinct options in terms of hitting feel off the string bed. Now, in addition to choosing which inserts to use, players can also choose which color they want their inserts to come in - thus giving them the ability to design their O3 Speedport Black cosmetic in more than 2,400 color combinations.
In coming days, players will be able to go to: www.princetennis.com and Prince's online customization tool to test out various cosmetic combinations and arrive at their perfect Speedport Black. They can then print it out, forward to a friend, and bring their creation to a retailer in order to make it a reality.
June 9, 2008
Prince to Have Build-Your-Own O3 Racquets Soon
Prince just released their French Open-themed newsletter. It has quite a few interesting tidbits about the pros they sponsor, and some sharp photos of them. They weren't able to tout the champ in either men's (Babolat) or women's (Yonex), but hidden in the newsletter was one nugget that caught my eye. Prince will be allowing customers to build their own O3 racquet online. When? Not sure, they naturally want us to frequent princesports.com to find out. When I know you'll know.
BTW, WhatsAllTheRacquet will be review some Prince Aerotech apparel in the upcoming days, so stay tuned.
June 7, 2008
Get $25 Gift Certificate with Prince Racquet Purchase
Tennis Offer Alert - If you buy a Prince racquet, like the Prince O3 White, Prince O3 Speedport White, Tour, OZone Tour or OZone Pro Tour, you'll get a $25 gift certificate.
Check out all the Prince sticks here.
May 29, 2008
Prince O Series Performance Footwear Hits Shelves
New Line Delivers "Hole" New Look and Makes Immediate Impact at Tour Level
Bordentown, NJ - May 29, 2008 - Tennis players are continuously faced with equipment choices. When it comes to their feet, the right shoes can lead to better footwork, which leads to more wins. Over the past few seasons, Prince has brought to market some of the sport's most popular, high-quality footwear and now has more models among the top 15 best-sellers than any other brand*. Now, after months of exhaustive design and validation trials among competitive players, Prince is launching O Series and in the process is taking footwear to a "hole" new level.
O Series builds on the success of the original M Series line by delivering improved Precision Tube technology which rounds the tubes for maximum energy return - providing quicker acceleration and improved footwork. This second generation Precision Tube technology also provides greater shock absorption for a smoother, more stable ride. O Series is available in two versions: the OV1 for a slightly firmer ride while optimizing ventilation and breathability and the OC1 with lighter gauge Precision Tubes for a softer, more cushiony ride.
"Prince continues to succeed in footwear by understanding what tennis players need," said John Embree, President of Prince Americas. "Today, more players around the world are walking into tennis shops or looking online for Prince footwear. We are excited to introduce O Series as we look to bring the best quality products to players and continue to grow our footwear category."
O Series saw immediate on court success when Nikolay Davydenko, who is extremely particular about his equipment, decided to lace up a pair of OV1's for the Sony Ericsson Open after trying many other brands. Davydenko went on to capture the biggest title of his career - making for quite an on-court debut for the new line. More recently, at the start of this year's French Open, approximately twenty ATP and WTA players took to the red clay of Roland Garros wearing O Series footwear.
Both the OV1 and the OC1, for men and women and the OC1 for juniors are now available in the United States wherever Prince tennis products are sold.
Men's
OV1 - Black/White/Red
OV1 - Navy/White/Silver
OC1 - Black/Silver Red
OC1 - White/Navy
Women's
OC1 - White/Silver
OV1 - White/Light Blue
OV1- White/Navy
OC1 - White/Lilac
Junior's
OC1 - Black/Silver/Red
Pricing
- Men's and women's OV1 and OC1 - SRP: $110
- Junior OC1 - SRP: $60
"Players should be careful about what equipment they put on their feet since the right footwear can not only make the on-court experience more enjoyable, but can be the difference between winning and losing," said George Poulos, Senior Category Manager for Footwear at Prince. "Some players like to "feel the court" more than others. Some like a shoe with more ventilation. O Series provides options for players depending on personal preference. In the end, the shoe needs to fit perfectly, look great and enable players to achieve their best results."
Check out Prince Footwear here
*SMS/TIA survey data for Q1 2008
May 20, 2008
Prince PPI Program Crowns First World Team Champion
05/15/08 - Bordentown, NJ - The inaugural Prince Plugged In (PPI) World Team Championships have come and gone and the first academy name is now engraved on the World Championship team trophy. In four years, the ground-breaking PPI program has revolutionized junior competition, training, education and overall development, by connecting nearly fifty of the world's most elite high-performance tennis academies into one seamless network both on the courts and on-line. Last week, for the first time in the program's history, Prince brought together five of the world's most elite junior training academies to Rome for a week of competition, training, education and cultural exchanges - a way for academies to measure themselves against other parts of the world and to truly determine which academy deserves the title "best of the best".
Competing were:
• United States PPI Champion: T Bar M Academy, Dallas, Texas
• Spain PPI Champion: Tenis Val, Valencia, Spain
• Italy PPI Champion: Club Sant' Agnese, Rome, Italy
• United Kingdom PPI Champion: Totally Tennis, Basingstroke, England
• United States PPI Runner-Up: IMG/Bollettieri Academy, Bradenton, Florida
Continue reading: "Prince PPI Program Crowns First World Team Champion"
May 15, 2008
Prince PPI Program Crowns First World Team Champion in Rome, Italy Heads to Tulsa for PPI All-American Individual Championships
Revolutionary Junior Program Set to Showcase U.S Talent in front of Division I Coaches
Bordentown, NJ - May 15, 2008 - The inaugural Prince Plugged In (PPI) World Team Championships have come and gone and the first academy name is now engraved on the World Championship team trophy. In four years, the ground-breaking PPI program has revolutionized junior competition, training, education and overall development, by connecting nearly fifty of the world's most elite high-performance tennis academies into one seamless network both on the courts and on-line. Last week, for the first time in the program's history, Prince brought together five of the world's most elite junior training academies to Rome for a week of competition, training, education and cultural exchanges - a way for academies to measure themselves against other parts of the world and to truly determine which academy deserves the title "best of the best".
Competing were:
· United States PPI Champion: T Bar M Academy, Dallas, Texas
· Spain PPI Champion: Tenis Val, Valencia, Spain
· Italy PPI Champion: Club Sant' Agnese, Rome, Italy
· United Kingdom PPI Champion: Totally Tennis, Basingstroke, England
· United States PPI Runner-Up: IMG/Bollettieri Academy, Bradenton, Florida
Continue reading: "Prince PPI Program Crowns First World Team Champion in Rome, Italy Heads to Tulsa for PPI All-American Individual Championships"
May 5, 2008
Prince Reports More Racquet & Footwear Models in Top 15 Than Any Other Brand & #1 Position in String
Bordentown, NJ - May 5, 2008 - The first quarter 2008 SMS/TIA industry survey's for racquets, string and footwear returned some positive news for Prince in all categories.
According to the report, and based on the continued demand for racquets with O3 technology, Prince saw a market share increase over the quarter and claimed seven of the top fifteen best-selling racquets in the industry - two more models than the next nearest brand. Those racquets are:
In addition, Prince has more than one-third of the top thirty best selling racquets in tennis and four of the top ten "Hot New Racquets"** - again, more than any other brand. Those "Hot New Racquets" are:
According to Prince Sports, Inc. Chairman and CEO George Napier, "We have good news to share this quarter according to SMS audit information and based on what we are seeing around the world. Globally, our revenue increased five percent year-to-date and April registered twenty-two percent growth, with all regions contributing equally. We are encouraged heading into the heart of the tennis season and look forward to introducing our new products in weeks to come. "
Other key findings from the Q1 survey showed:
·Prince is leading all racquet manufactures in three price points - less than $70 racquets, between $200-$249, and $250 and over.
"In addition to the growing popularity of Prince racquets in store, the presence of O3 continues to grow on both the ATP and WTA tours as well," said Linda Glassel, Vice President of Sports Marketing for Prince. "Earlier this year, Maria Sharapova won the Australian Open with her O3 White, followed by a remarkable title run from Nikolay Davydenko at the Sony Ericsson Open - often referred to as the 'Fifth Grand Slam' by players - with his Ozone Pro Tour. Heading into the French Open later this month, some of the games brightest up and comers, Jelena Jankovic, Sam Querrey, the #1 men's doubles team, Mike and Bob Bryan, and the #1, #3 and #4 ranked women's doubles players will all be taking to the court playing racquets with O3 technology."
String and Footwear:
Information from the SMS/TIA Audit showed that Prince is #1 in tennis string with the highest market share and also has #1 string in the sport, Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex.
In footwear, Prince currently has more models (five) in the top fifteen best sellers ranked by year-to-date dollar sales than any other brand. This includes two models in its T Series and two models in its M Series.
The five Prince models in the top 15 are:
The company is looking to increase unit share moving forward with the introduction of its O Series (OV1 and OC1) line this year. Both the OV1 and OC1 are designed specifically to meet the needs of men, women and junior players. In fact, Nikolay Davydenko ushered in the O Series line by wearing the OV1's en route to his Sony Ericsson title.
Continue reading: "Prince Reports More Racquet & Footwear Models in Top 15 Than Any Other Brand & #1 Position in String"
April 29, 2008
Inaugural Prince Plugged In World Championships to Showcase Top Junior Tennis Academies In Competition
From Prince Sports:
The stage is set. Country champions have been crowned and now, for the first time ever, top junior tennis academies from six nations are on their way to Rome, Italy to determine which academy is the best of the best.
In four years, the ground-breaking Prince Plugged In (PPI) program has revolutionized junior competition, training and education and online interaction, by connecting nearly fifty of the world's most elite high-performance tennis academies.
Coaches and players who have been accepted into the PPI program share revolutionary training tips, equipment insights, match-play strategies, and engage in a year-long series of team competitions called Challenge Cups - designed to help players reach their full potential. It is at these Challenge Cup events where academies battle one another to accrue points which ultimately determine the top academy in each country.
Continue reading: "Inaugural Prince Plugged In World Championships to Showcase Top Junior Tennis Academies In Competition"
April 24, 2008
Davydenko's Racquet Switch Leads to Spike in Popularity of Prince O3
Two weeks ago, Nikolay Davydenko put together a string of wins at the Sony Ericsson Open beating Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal en route to capturing the biggest title of his career. His play on court, combined with the romantic story of how he switched from the Ozone Tour to the denser string pattern of the Ozone Pro Tour prior to his first round match, and how he used the same frame to march through the draw, are becoming something of tennis lore. His results and outspoken affinity for his "new" O3 racquet, have not only led to a surge in his popularity but created a noticeable spike in demand for the racquet as well.
"While it is sometimes difficult to ascertain whether there is a direct correlation between an athlete's on court performance and sales success, this is proof positive that it can make an impact given the fact that in the week immediately following his win, demand for the Ozone Tour and Ozone Pro Tour jumped considerably," said Linda Glassel, Vice President of Marketing for Prince. "In fact, from the week prior to Davydenko's picking up the new frame to the week following his win, we saw demand increase by nearly four times. When a player truly feels that a racquet has made a difference, it validates that there is something special."
Davydenko playtested the Ozone Pro Tour between the Pacific Life Open and Sony Ericsson Open and liked the feel of the denser string pattern immediately. He went into the tournament with a couple of the new racquets in his bag but favored one frame in particular and stuck with it throughout the tournament. During the trophy presentation, Davydenko told on-court reporter Mary Joe Fernandez that he would "keep this racquet forever". While he may feel differently as Prince introduces him to newer models moving forward, what is for certain is that his decision to pick up the Ozone Pro Tour, with its 18 x 20 (denser) string pattern, coupled with his championship run have proved to be an extremely positive combination for a Prince brand that is already seeing strong growth and momentum in the market.
With the win, Davydenko became the first Russian ever to win this prestigious event. In speaking openly about how comfortable he was with the Ozone Pro Tour, Davydenko piqued the interest of players globally, continuing the buzz around Prince's visible O3 racquet technology. Today, there are over 100 touring pros using various racquet models with O3 technology, and nearly everyone who has made the switch to an O3 frame has improved his or her ranking.
According to Tom Russ, Director of Touring Pros for Prince, "Nikolay is very in tune with his equipment. He was one of the first players on tour to switch to O3 and knew immediately that the denser pattern would give him added control. Players are very aware of what O3 technology has done to raise the rankings of their peers and new players are asking which O3 frame might take their game to the next level."
Following his win in Miami, Davydenko then went on to reach the finals of the clay court tournament in Estoril, Portugal. More recently, at the U.S Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas, in only his eighth ATP event, Marcel Granollers-Pujols won his first title, using the Ozone Tour to beat James Blake and move his ranking from #84 to #54.
Check out Prince O3 gear.
April 23, 2008
WATR Celebrates Earth Day All Week - Prince & Greenslam
Princeis a founding sponsor of GreenSlam, a program that aims to harness the power of sports to create socially responsible change with positive environmental impact. it was started last year by the sports' biggest social change-agent, Billie Jean King.
Unlike other one-off programs, this is an inclusive, expansive initiative that brings into the fold the strongest organizations and leaders from various industries around the globe, all focused on empowering millions of people. Like Billie Jean King, Prince is ready to take responsibility, make internal changes, and work together as part of the larger group to influence others and teach them to rethink, reuse, and recycle.
Prince will lead by example - understanding that to improve the environment and to ask others to sacrifice, it must continue to look at its own operations. Similar to what the company does in terms of product design, Prince will continue to innovate and deliver the freshest, most cutting edge thinking to its production, packaging, distribution, and administrative practices in order to continue to develop and execute eco-friendly processes.
In addition, the company will work as part of the Green Dream Team engaging in a variety of intitiatives including a largescale sports equipment recycling program that will help consumers take their old (and usually non-biodegradable) sporting goods equipment to drop-off centers, such as tennis clubs and stadiums, where they can be reused instead of being thrown away.
To support GreenSlam, click here.
Or support Prince for their good works by purchasing their tennis racquets, shoes, apparel and accessories.
April 15, 2008
Prince Americas Names New President
Prince Sports, Inc. is proud and excited to announce that John Embree will be joining the Company as its new President of Prince Americas, leading the charge for the brand in the United States, Latin America and Canada and reporting directly to Chairman and CEO of Prince Sports, Inc. George Napier.
Check out Prince racquets and more at the Whats All The Racquet store.
Continue reading: "Prince Americas Names New President"
April 13, 2008
Maria Sharapova Wins Bausch & Lomb Championships
2008 Australian Open Champ Keeps Wins Coming for O3 Racquet Technology
Last week, Nikolay Davydenko captivated the tennis world with his win at the Sony Ericsson Open - raving about how his Prince Ozone Pro Tour helped him capture the second Masters title of his career. This week, Maria Sharapova showed that O3 racquets continue to help players on the WTA tour as well, using her O3 White to win the 2008 Bausch and Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, South Carolina Sunday.
For Maria, who took some time off after capturing her third career Grand Slam title earlier this year at the Australian Open, the Bausch and Lomb Championships marked her return to action. She showed her true grit and talent by battling through two tough three-set matches before beating Dominika Cibulkova 7-6, 6-3 in the final for her third title this year.
Continue reading: "Maria Sharapova Wins Bausch & Lomb Championships"
April 11, 2008
It's a Spring String Thing
Spring is in the air, we're all getting the kinks worked out of our games (unless you were good and played a lot indoors), which means our frequency of playing is increasing. More playing equals more broken strings, so you better stock up now. Here are some great options:
Dunlop
Dunlop Explosive Polyester 16g
Dunlop Explosive Polyester 17g
Fischer
Fischer Poly Pro 17g
Klip Atomic (Kevlar) 16g Reel (330 ft/100 m)
Klip Hardcore 16Lg
Klip KBoom 16g
Klip Kicker 17g
Prince
Prince Syn Gut Original 16g
Prince Syn Gut with Duraflex 17g Reel
Prince Lightning XX 16g Reel
Technifibre
Tecnifibre NRG2 17g Reel
Tecnifibre Pro Red Code 16g
Tecnifibre Polyspin 16g
April 10, 2008
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